Method and apparatus for making buttonholes



July 13, 1937. R. A. C(IDLLINS ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKINGBUTTONHOLES Filed July 18, 1955 2 ts-Sheet Jnverziors;

M W: 2% ayoq .45 0172 July 13, 1937. R. A. COLLINS ET AL 2,086,562

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BUTTONHOLES A v Filed July 18, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 2 'AVAVAVAVAUAVAV'A: i l- 7A VA Al N VAVAVAVAVBAVAVAVA'AVAVA A AV z VAVAVAVAVA' 3 a; Q mm 29 y VDQ QLM a Q Jar/2115.

Patented July 13, 1937 PATENT oFFIcE METHon AND APPARATUS FOR MAKINGBUTTONHOLES Ralph A. Collins and Frank Mondello, Brooklyn,

N. Y., assignors to The Reece Button Hole Machine Oompany, Boston, Mass,a corporation of Maine Application July 18, 1935, Serial No. 32,018

7 Claims. This invention relates especially to the formation ofbuttonholes in work comprising a plurality of superposed layers or pliesof material, as, for example, in coat lapels and facings which usuallycomprise two plies of finish fabric and an interposed ply of interliningor stiffening material of a totally dissimilar character, such ascanvas. When such an assembly is cut toform the buttonhole slit, theintermediate ply, which contrasts in appearance with the finish fabric,is exposed, and in the subsequent working or sewing of the buttonhole ithas been found in practice virtually impossible to cover and concealthis contrasting slit edge completely and permanently, resulting in abuttonhole of an unsightly appearance which is highly objectionable inhigh grade work. This difliculty iswell recognized in the art, andvarious expedients have been resorted to in the attempt to overcome it,but none of these have provided a wholly satisfactory solution of theproblem. In accordance with the present invention the problem is solvedin a simple and effective way by causing the buttonhole stitches to bindthe edges of'one of the exterior or finish fabric plies over the slitedge of the intermediate or interliningply, thereby completely andpermanently concealing the latter.

The invention will best be understood from the following description ofthe mechanism and operations illustrated in the accompanying drawings,these, however, having been chosen for pur- "poses of' exemplificationmerely, as it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that theinvention, as defined by the claimshereunto appended, may be otherwiseembodied and practiced without departure from its spirit and scope.

In said drawings; Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a buttonhole machineembodying and operating in accordance with the invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are elevations of the looper mech anism as viewed frompoints at right angles to each other, respectively.

" Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of the front end of the machine.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of certain of 'the instrumentalitiesadjacent the stitching point,

showing the work in place and a buttonhole partly completed therein.

Fig. 6 is a similar view with the work omitted. Fig. 7 is an enlargeddetail sectional view taken substantially on the line 1-1, Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the completed work. I

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the throat plate.

While the invention may be embodied and practiced in a wide variety ofways, for convenience it is herein illustrated in connection with abuttonhole sewing machine of the general type shown and described in theKiewicz Patent No. 1,558,182, October 20, 1925. Sucha machine comprisesa bed l5 provided with suitable work clamps it for holding the work forthe action of the cutting and sewing instrumentalities, and a sewinghead il in which are carried sewing-instrumentalities comprising areciprocating needle bar l8 carrying a needle it above the bed plate andsuitable looper or under-thread mecha-- nism 28 below the bed plate. Theneedle bar and looper mechanism are actuated by any suitable means (notshown in detail but well known in the art) from a driving shaft 2ijournalled in the head. The looper mechanism herein shown issubstantially identical with that shown and described in the Kiewiczpatent above referredto and requires no description in detail, althoughit will be obvious that any other type of looper or under-threadmechanism usual in the art may mechanism well known in the art and notshown herein. Also, in machines of this type it is customary to give thestitch forming instrumentalities a semi-rotation in sewing around "theeye end of the buttonhole and a similar rotation in the oppositedirection upon the completion of the work in order to restore them totheir initial positions. To this end, said instrumentalities are carriedby turrets 22 and 23 rotatably mounted in the head I l and operated bysuitable mechanism likewise well known in the art and not shown indetail herein.

Machines of this type are further usually provided with means forcutting the work to form the buttonhole slit therein. A conventionalform of such cutting mechanism is indicated in Fig. l and includes acutter 24 carried by a lever or arm 25 pivoted in the head il andactuated at the proper time by suitable instrumentalities not shown. Theoperation of the cutter to cut the buttonhole slit may take place eitherbefore or after the stitching of the buttonhole, but in a machineconstructed and operated in accordance with the present invention theslit is out before stitching.

The turret 23 carries a throat plate 26 having a sewing opening 21through which the needle operates and also, if desired, having a guideopenby the buttonhole stitches 30, as shown in Fig. 8. Such throatplates are usual in machines of this type in order to support the workfor the stitching instrumentalities immediately adjacent the stitchingpoint, but in accordance with the present invention the throat plate 26is modifiedto' needle opening 2?, being, generally speaking, disposed atan inclination from the former to the latter toward the median line ofthe throat plate. 20 In Fig. '7 is shown a piece or" work W compris ingthree superposed plies, namely, two exterior plies of'finish fabric a, band an interposed ply c of interlining or stiffening material andthrough all of which plies has been cut a buttonhole slit s. 25 At thestitching point the raised portion 32 of the throat plate supports thework and presses against the contiguous ply b at the side of'thebuttonhole slit where the stitching is taking place, while the materialat the opposite side of the 30 slit-is left less firmly supported by thecut-away or depressed portion 3|. As shown in Fig. 5 the feed movementof the stitching instrumentalities is in the direction of the arrow A,so that the relative movement of the work with respect to 35 thestitching mechanism is in the direction of the arrow B, and it will beseen that the inclination of the edger33toward the slit sis in thelatter direction. Consequently, as the feeding and stitching operationsprogress, the raised portion 32, shoulder 34, and edge 33 act in thenature of a plow which first engages the contiguous exterior ply b at apoint relatively remote from the slit s and thereafter, as the feedingproceeds, crowds or forces said exterior ply laterally toward the centerline of said slit, and thereby causes a marginal portion thereofadjacent the slit to be projected beyond the corresponding edges of theother plies, and particularly beyond the edge of'the adjacentintermediate ply c, as shown at d in Fig. '7. The projection of thismarginal or edge portion becomes greatest immediately adjacent thestitching point, so that the buttonhole stitches 30, which are thereuponformed about the slit edges of the several plies, 55 cause thisprojected portion ofthe ply b to be bound over the slit edge e of theadjacent or intermediate ply 0, thereby effectually concealing andfinishing said edge, as shown in Fig. 8. We claim:

V60 1. In a buttonhole machine, in combination,

means for holding a plurality of plies of material having a buttonholeslit cut therein, means for forcing the marginal portion of'an exteriorply which lies immediately adjacent the slit laterally 65 toward saidslit beyond the edge of the adjacent ply, and buttonhole stitching,mechanism for sewing buttonhole stitches along the edges of said slitand about the slit edges of all of the plies.

2. In a buttonhole machine, in combination,

70 means for supporting a plurality of superposed plies of materialhaving a buttonhole slit cut therein, buttonhole stitching mechanism-forsewfor relatively moving said supporting means and stitching mechanismtocause the latter to sew a line of buttonhole stitches along and aboutthe edges of said slit, and means for progressively 'forcing themarginal portion of an exterior ply which lies immediately adjacent-theslit laterally toward said slit beyond the edge of "the adjacent plyimmediately in advance of the stitching point.

4. In a buttonhole machine, in combination, means for clamping aplurality of superposed piles of material having a buttonhole slit outtherein, buttonhole stitching mechanism, means ior relatively movingsaid elampingmeansand stitching mechanism to cause the latter tosew aline of buttonhole stitches along and about theedges of said slit, and athroat v pl-ateiassoeiated with said stitching mechanism and-engagingthework, said throat plate having'a'plowadapted, as the stitchingprogresses, to *force the marginal portion of the contiguous exteriorply lying immediately adjacent'the: slit laterally toward saidslitbeyond the edge'of the adjacent, ply.

5. Ina buttonhole machine, in combination, work clamping means,.buttonhole stitching mechanism, means for relatively moving said"clamping means and stitchin q echanism to cause the latter to sew a lineof buttonhole stitches-along and about the edges of a; buttonhole slitin the work, and .a'throat plate. associated with saidstitchingtmechanism, said throat plate having a portion engaging, thework at the side of the slit being sewn, said portion terminating in anedge inclined toward'the slitin the direction of the relative movementofthe work with respect to thestitching mech-anism-andextendingsubstantially, to said slit.

6. The method of making a buttonhole which includes cutting a slitin aplurality of superposed plies of material, forcingthe marginal portionsof an exterior ply which lies immediately adjacent the slit laterallytoward said slit to cause said portions to project beyond the edge ofthe adjacent ply, and sewing buttonhole stitches through allof the pliesalongand-about the edges of the slit and thereby bindinggsaid marginalportions of said exterior-ply over'the slit-edges of the adjacent ply. V

'7. The method of makinga buttonhole which includes cutting a slit in aplurality of superposed plies of material and sewingsbuttonhole stitchesthroughall of the plies along and about 1 the .edges of the slitwhile-progressively.forcing the marginal portion ofan exterior ply whichlies immediately adjacent the slit .toward said slit beyond the edge ofthe adjacent ply immediately in advance of the stitching point andthereby causing said marginal portion to be ,bnund by said stitches overthe slit edge ,of the adjacent ply.

RALPH A. COLLINS. FRANK MONDELLO.

